


The Story of the Night

by orphan_account



Series: Vampire AU [7]
Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, M/M, This fic is heavily influenced by the musical Hamilton
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-15
Updated: 2019-07-15
Packaged: 2020-06-29 02:51:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19821019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: In which Deniss decided to return his former home in the castle.





	The Story of the Night

**Author's Note:**

> The title is from the musical 'Hamilton'.  
> I'm not a native speaker of English, and this work has not been beta'd. Apologies for any mistakes, pls don't hesitate to tell me if you spot any!  
> This is completely fictional.

_We may not live to see our glory/But I will gladly join the fight/And when our children tell our stories/They’ll tell the story of tonight_  
_-Lin-Manuel Miranda, The Story of Tonight from Hamilton the Musical_

“Madam Tukta-No, sorry, Madam Spokesperson.”Deniss anxiously walked into Elisaveta’s office, not knowing what to expect.  
The older vampire politely asked her young secretary to close the door. “Deniss, nice to see you. Call me Liza, please. Would you like to take a seat?”  
“Thanks, Ma’am…Liza.” He still didn’t know why he was called to the Congress building. He did meet Elisaveta many many years ago, when he was still living in the castle, and when Chris and Steph were there. Deniss looked at her face and outfit. She had become so different. She used to wear a leather biker jacket, jeans and a pair of sneakers, with her hair tied up in a high ponytail. Now she looked professional in smart suit and heels.  
In these years, Deniss couldn’t completely trust anyone, especially anyone linked with politics, because what happened two hundred years ago. But Liza was one of their friends, so probably she was trustworthy. Also, he didn’t do much under the name of ‘Deniss Vasiljevs’ in the new Constitution campaign, so coming to the Congress to meet Liza wouldn’t hurt.  
Most importantly, Liza wouldn’t destroy the constitution she drafted.  
She beamed. “You know that a given name shouldn’t be used with a title, unless you’re speaking of a member of the royal family, right?”  
Deniss scratched his hair, “Yes…So, Liza. I believe it’s not an appointment about…well, how should I phrase it, personal issues? It’s office time now.”  
Elisaveta nodded. “Indeed. Well, we know that you’ve done a lot in the grassroots organizations to help with the campaign, and we truly appreciate all your efforts and…”  
Deniss tensed up. How does she know? I used a pseudonym, and I wasn’t even out there on the stage-I didn’t make speeches to the people, nor did I write anything for the media. I was more on the logistics side. But if she said so, they probably have sufficient reasons to believe it. There’s no point denying.  
“Do you have any plans for the future?”  
“Well….I had a dream since a very young age, when I first knew of baking.” He didn’t know that he was smiling as he recalled the days in the castle, when he made desserts-although there’s only one person who actually eat desserts. “I’m thinking of opening a restaurant, or if that’s difficult, a small bakery, for the humans.” Please don’t suggest anything about public service, Deniss prayed. It’s not that I don’t want to, but I just can’t do this.  
The spokeswoman laced her finger together, “I know it’s a little bit abrupt, but can I suggest something?” It’s not really difficult to guess that there were many great memories related to baking, probably during his time in the castle, as Stephane was so into cakes and tarts.  
No. Deniss shouted silently, but it’s rude to say it.  
“It’s about the castle where you lived.” She opened a folder on the desk, “We are thinking of bringing it under a trust fund, partially supported by the government. We’ve found some other sponsors, who at least pledged to treat all species equally and promote integration under the new Constitution. But we need someone to actually take care of it.”  
Deniss stared at the cover page she showed him. It used to be my home.  
“What…what will it become?”He didn’t even notice that his voice had become shaky, “From what I know, it was a tourist attraction in the past years, a part of ‘The Unpleasant History’ tour. and I really…can’t appreciate it.”  
Elisaveta flipped through the pages of the document and showed Deniss some pictures, “I don’t like it, as well. It wasn’t like this.” She frowned as she saw the photos of the cellar, now decorated as a dungeon. “I don’t know what it was like many years ago, before I was born, even before Chris…” She bit her lips, “But it surely wasn’t like this when Chris and Steph were there. No other species were kept captive in his time.”  
Deniss closed his eyes. It won’t be surprising that the humans believed it. He testified it, although that wasn’t what he meant.  
“So,” Elisaveta tried to keep herself from sobbing, “We want to restore it. Restore it as a normal home, where people stayed and lived with their loved ones. And you’re the person who knows it best. Do you mind helping us?”  
“I…”Deniss hesitated. It’s a very tempting offer. He might be able to walk along the aisles and climb up the spiral staircases again. He might even be able to spend a few afternoons, if the sun’s not terrible, in the garden. “I would very much like to help, but…”He sighed, “I think I have some sort of public speaking anxiety. I just don’t know what to say.”  
He could see a corner of the Alps from the glass window behind Elisaveta. He still didn’t get tired of the sight of the mountains, not only because of its beauty, but also because they were there. They were his guardians, his friends and his mentors throughout the two hundred years, even though they passed away long before today.  
“No, you don’t need to speak to people if you don’t want to.” Elisaveta knew what he was afraid of. “If you prefer to be a backstage crew, then by all means.”  
Deniss smiled. “Does the government have any idea how it would be like?” If it’s very different from what I hoped, I’d better decline the offer. It’s better than to be disappointed later.  
“We don’t really have anything very specific. There were a few suggestions of transforming the castle into a museum and to tell people the story of all the struggles, from the Lausanne Convention up to this point. Personally, I want people to know their stories.” She looked at the corner of her desk and Deniss noticed an old group photo. He recognized Stephane, Evgeni and her, so it’s probably a photo of the responders. “The history owes them a fair account.”  
It’s your chance of redemption, a voice screamed in Deniss. He thought of the garden picnics in the cloudy days, the dinners in the kitchen with Chris’s cooking and his dessert, the movie nights, and of course, the laughter, kisses and embraces. It’s not abuse, maltreatment, brainwashing or psychological control.  
“I need to…”Deniss wiped his face, “I need to think about it. Who would I work under?”  
She pushed the folder across the desk. “You can take a look at it, and if there’s anything you want to add or change, just drop me an email, I’ll see what I can do. If you decide to come, you’ll be in charge.”  
“Me?” Deniss stared at the folder in disbelief, “But I’m only…”  
“You know it best, and you probably know them best. Better than anyone else that I could find, at least.” Elisaveta held his hand and gave him a reaffirming squeeze, “You can open a restaurant, or a bakery, a café, anything you’d like in the castle. You can use the actual kitchen inside, but a refurbishment may be necessary.” She smiled, “It should be yours. Their property was confiscated and weren’t able to write a will, but we believe that they’d leave it to you, should they are able to.”  
Deniss held the folder close to his chest, “I guess I would be happy to.” He tried not to look up, because the lady will surely see his tears. “It’s…it might be my absolution.”  
“Deniss.” Elisaveta said with a firm voice although it’s not difficult to know that she’s about to cry as well, “You did nothing wrong. It’s the court’s fault.”  
Deniss tried to smile but didn’t manage to, “Maybe.”  
“The last thing.” Elisaveta crossed her fingers, “We also want to build a monument up in the mountains. How would you describe them if you’re to write something on their gravestone?”  
It didn’t take Deniss too much time. “Les camarades, les amants. Of course with their names.” He looked out onto the mountains again, “They aren’t resting there, are they?” Vampires don’t have remains or corpses. They just turn into ashes when they reach the end of the long road. And Stephane…He didn’t know, but he’s prepared for the worst.  
“Unfortunately, no. We don’t know where they are, up till today.” Elizaveta sighed. “But somehow, over these years, I can feel them as if they were never…as if it had never happen.” She covered her mouth and tried to hold her tears back, “It’s just…”  
Deniss murmured, “Ils nous protègent. ”

**Author's Note:**

> Ils nous protègent: They're protecting us.


End file.
